Who’s hot and who’s not: All Blacks newbies, Crusaders ‘back on top’ in Super Rugby Pacific while Lions lose tour opener and England star suspended
The Crusaders and the British & Irish Lions.
It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
All Blacks newbies: Head coach Scott Robertson named five uncapped players in his 33-man squad to take on France in New Zealand next month and each of those players richly deserve their maiden All Blacks call-ups. The selections of Highlanders duo Timoci Tavatavanawai (centre) and Fabian Holland (lock) as well as Hurricanes flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi were expected as all three played superbly throughout the recent Super Rugby Pacific season. Meanwhile, Chiefs front-row duo Ollie Norris (prop) and Brodie McAlister (hooker) had less spectacular campaigns than the aforementioned trio but also impressed during the Hamilton-based outfit’s run to this year’s Super Rugby Pacific final and will be keen to show that they belong at Test level.
The Crusaders and Rob Penney: After a forgetful 2024 season, the Crusaders had plenty to celebrate about as they are back on top in Super Rugby Pacific after being crowned 2025 champions courtesy of their 16-12 triumph over the Chiefs at the Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday. As the scoreline suggests, it was a hard-fought win as only three points were scored in the second half after the home side led 13-12 at half-time. The victory cements the Crusaders’ position as the competition’s most successful side as they have now won 15 Super Rugby titles in all. Head coach Penney deserves special praise as he redeemed himself after he guided his troops superbly throughout the season, this after they failed to reach the play-offs in his first season in charge last year.
Argentina: Despite being 7/1 underdogs to win their eagerly anticipated clash against the British and Irish Lions before kick-off, that is exactly what Felipe Contepomi’s charges did as they registered a thrilling 28-24 victory at the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening. From the outset, Los Pumas showed they meant business and they raced into a deserved 21-10 lead at half-time and although Andy Farrell’s side came back strongly after the interval, it wasn’t enough to haul in the South American outfit who eventually outscored the Lions by three tries to two. Benetton fly-half Tomas Albornoz led the way for Argentina with an 18-point haul courtesy of a try, three penalties and two conversions.
Bordeaux-Begles: The French outfit continued with their outstanding form when they booked their spot in this season’s Top 14 final courtesy of a 39-24 victory over Toulon in their semi-final at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon on Saturday. Bordeaux were full value for their win as they outscored their opponents by five tries to three with hooker Maxime Lamothe leading the way with a well-taken hat-trick. UBB will now face defending champions Toulouse in the final at the Stade de France on Saturday. A victory for UBB will be a special feat for head coach Yannick Bru and his troops as it will mean they have beaten Toulouse four times this season after defeating their old foes twice during the Top 14’s league phase as well as in their Investec Champions Cup semi-final.
COLD AS ICE!
British and Irish Lions: While Contepomi and his charges deserve plenty of credit for their impressive victory at the Aviva Stadium, the British and Irish Lions will have to do plenty of introspection after that defeat. It was a frustrating day at the office for famous touring team as they committed a plethora of unforced errors which were pounced on by their opponents, who fully deserved their victory in the end. Los Pumas showed why they are currently ranked fifth in World Rugby’s official rankings while the Lions battled to get going in most facets of play and their defeat was the first Lions loss in a tour opener since 1971. Head coach Farrell has plenty of homework to do ahead of their next match, against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: After spending the past six months on the sidelines following a dislocated shoulder, the England speedster made his long-awaited return to action for the England XV in their 26-24 defeat against the France XV at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday. However, his comeback lasted just 30 minutes as he was sent off for catching Antoine Hastoy in the head with a swinging right arm. Feyi-Waboso was initially yellow carded but that was upgraded to red and has subsequently received a two-match suspension. That means the 22-year-old will miss England’s Tests against Argentina on July 5 and 12 but he will be available for the Red Rose’s clash with the USA on July 19, if he completes World Rugby’s tackle school.
Chiefs: It was Groundhog Day for the men from Hamilton’s head coach Clayton McMillan and his players as they – once again – had to finish as runners-up in a Super Rugby Pacific final following their defeat to the Crusaders in Christchurch. It was the Chiefs’ third successive loss in a Super Rugby final and their fourth in five seasons with McMillan coaching the side. Although they outscored the Crusaders by two tries to one, poor goal-kicking from Damian McKenzie proved costly for the Chiefs as he was off target with a penalty and conversion attempt respectively and those five points ultimately proved to be the difference between winning and losing in the grander scheme of things.
Trouble in Bulls camp: It emerged over the weekend that there are major issues – and have been for some time now – in the Pretoria-based outfit’s camp with their director of rugby, Jake White, at the centre of it all as several of his players and some assistant coaches are allegedly not seeing eye-to-eye with the man who guided the Springboks to their 2007 Rugby World Cup triumph in France. According to reports in the South African media, Springboks forwards Ruan Nortjé and Marcell Coetzee led a player delegation to Bulls management to complain about White’s leadership style while he has also lost the support of assistant coaches Chris Rossouw and Andries Bekker, as well as the Bulls’ chief executive Edgar Rathbone.
READ MORE: British & Irish Lions chief ‘open’ to ‘other countries’ conversation amid cries for Argentina tour
